Flat abdominal muscles are visually appealing, and they may also improve your health. Excess fat in the stomach area increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and some cancers. Creating flat abs requires healthy eating and cardiovascular exercise to burn the fat. Abdominal exercises such as situps don't rid the area of fat, but instead, strengthen and sculpt the muscle.
Burn the Fat
Rounded tummies from belly fat won't become flat from situps alone. To get rid of the fat you need to eat fewer calories and burn more calories. Cardiovascular exercise can help burn away fat and sculpt flat abs at the same time. Rowing, kickboxing, off-road running and swimming burn calories and fat, as wells as tone abdominal muscles.
Yoga Situps
Yoga situps engage your abdominals through the entire range of motion. They also strengthen the abdominal muscles and increase flexibility of the back and hamstrings. Lie on your back on a mat, extend your legs out and your arms over your head. Inhale a breath as you bring your arms up and sit up. Work to keep your heels on the floor as you lift your torso up. Also, don't use your arms for momentum. Let the abs do all the work. Next, exhale reaching your hands forward toward your toes. Inhale returning to the sitting position and exhale lowering your self slowly back to the starting position. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
Ball Crunches
In 2001, a study by the American Council on Exercise found that the traditional crunch wasn't very effective unless it was done on a ball. Sit on the ball and carefully walk your feet forward until your lower back is on the ball and your thighs are parallel to the floor. If you feel unstable, widen your feet. Cross your arms over your chest and recline back until your torso is parallel to the floor. Contract your abs to lift your torso 45 degrees and then return to the reclined position. Repeat 15 to 20 times.
The Bicycle
The American Council on Exercise study ranked the bicycle the best exercise for strengthening the rectus abdominus and the second-best exercise for strengthening the obliques. Lie supine on a mat with your hands behind your head and your knees up. Extend one leg out while pulling the other knee toward your chest. At the same time, lift your shoulders off the floor and twist through your torso, reaching your opposite elbow to the drawn-in knee. Repeat on the other side. If you feel back strain, bicycle your feet toward the ceiling. As you get stronger, work to extend your legs parallel to the floor.
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